Founders
Dorin C. Matthews
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer of FPA
Dorin has a Bachelor's in Human Services and a Masters in Social Work from Touro College. She has been an Adoptive foster parent for the past eleven years and has faced many obstacles and challenges, with limited support from foster care agencies. Dorin has worked as a preventive case planner as well as in a psychiatric day treatment program for children. She is one of the partners of United Foster Parents Consultants LLC. While working as a foster parent advocate within a foster care agency, she observed that services were not being adequately provided to the foster parents. She decided she wanted to make a change and break that cycle. Dorin has raised and adopted her two nephews. She has also opened her home to other youths in foster care and has participated in helping the families transition back together. The eleven year experience has motivated her to reach out and help other foster parents, by providing support, education and empowerment, to help them get the services for the foster children in their care. Dorin believe's that the key for foster parents, in order to make change, is unity. Speak up and be heard! That is the only way change will happen.
SylviaM. Hooper
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer of FPA
Ms. Hooper is an adoptive child who went back into the system after her adoptive parents passed away at age 15. She was then placed in kinship foster care, where she did not have a good experience. She has made it her personal mission to advocate for children, individuals and groups who are unable or incapable of doing so.
Ms. Hooper has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Adephi Unversity and has her Masters in Social Work from Touro College. Sylvia is one of the partners of United Foster Parents Consultants LLC. She has worked for the Administration for Children Services as a Child Protective Specialist for two years. She presently works as a student liaison for a middle school in the Bronx. Ms. Hooper also has knowledge and experience of the foster care system as she worked as an Intake Case Planner within a foster care agency, at which she observed the gaps in the foster care system that are affecting the children in care. She also observed the lack of support and guidance that was provided to both the foster parents and children in foster care. It was from her work experience and lack of support and commitment from her colleagues, that Ms. Hooper decided she wanted to take action and help the families and children of the community make a change.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer of FPA
Dorin has a Bachelor's in Human Services and a Masters in Social Work from Touro College. She has been an Adoptive foster parent for the past eleven years and has faced many obstacles and challenges, with limited support from foster care agencies. Dorin has worked as a preventive case planner as well as in a psychiatric day treatment program for children. She is one of the partners of United Foster Parents Consultants LLC. While working as a foster parent advocate within a foster care agency, she observed that services were not being adequately provided to the foster parents. She decided she wanted to make a change and break that cycle. Dorin has raised and adopted her two nephews. She has also opened her home to other youths in foster care and has participated in helping the families transition back together. The eleven year experience has motivated her to reach out and help other foster parents, by providing support, education and empowerment, to help them get the services for the foster children in their care. Dorin believe's that the key for foster parents, in order to make change, is unity. Speak up and be heard! That is the only way change will happen.
SylviaM. Hooper
Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer of FPA
Ms. Hooper is an adoptive child who went back into the system after her adoptive parents passed away at age 15. She was then placed in kinship foster care, where she did not have a good experience. She has made it her personal mission to advocate for children, individuals and groups who are unable or incapable of doing so.
Ms. Hooper has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Adephi Unversity and has her Masters in Social Work from Touro College. Sylvia is one of the partners of United Foster Parents Consultants LLC. She has worked for the Administration for Children Services as a Child Protective Specialist for two years. She presently works as a student liaison for a middle school in the Bronx. Ms. Hooper also has knowledge and experience of the foster care system as she worked as an Intake Case Planner within a foster care agency, at which she observed the gaps in the foster care system that are affecting the children in care. She also observed the lack of support and guidance that was provided to both the foster parents and children in foster care. It was from her work experience and lack of support and commitment from her colleagues, that Ms. Hooper decided she wanted to take action and help the families and children of the community make a change.
Copyright © 2010 Foster Parent Advocacy Foundation Inc. All rights reserved.
Board Members
Sylvia Hooper (right) & Dorin Matthews (left)
Ann Dowd
Secretary of the Board
Ms. Dowd was born and raised in Holyoke Massachusetts,was a pre-med graduate of Holy Cross College,and has an MFA in acting from the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University. She is professional actress working in theather, film, and television.She also teaches Chekhov at Tennessee Williams at Cap 21, an acting school at NYU. She lives in New York with her husband and their two children.Ms Dowd appeared on Broadway and received the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising B'way Debut. Ms Dowd has been in numerous amount of different films such as Philadelphia, Marley and Me. She has appearred on several television series such as law and order and the X- files. She has been a foster parent for 4 years now.
Secretary of the Board
Ms. Dowd was born and raised in Holyoke Massachusetts,was a pre-med graduate of Holy Cross College,and has an MFA in acting from the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University. She is professional actress working in theather, film, and television.She also teaches Chekhov at Tennessee Williams at Cap 21, an acting school at NYU. She lives in New York with her husband and their two children.Ms Dowd appeared on Broadway and received the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising B'way Debut. Ms Dowd has been in numerous amount of different films such as Philadelphia, Marley and Me. She has appearred on several television series such as law and order and the X- files. She has been a foster parent for 4 years now.
Phoebe Chen Treasurer of the Board
Ms. Chen was born in Patterson, New Jersey and grew up in the New Jersey suburbs of. She attended New York University – Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Finance and CPA Accounting, with a Minor in East Studies. She is currently an associate at a big 4 accounting firm in the Forensics, Fraud, and Investigations Group. Ms. Chen is planning on sitting for her CPA this year. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, as well as Alpha Kappa Psi. She resides in jersey and works in midtown Manhattan.
Diane Long was born and raised in Yonkers NY. After High School graduation, she attended Norfolk State University in Norfolk Virginia. She majored in Social Work and in December 1981, she earned a BS Degree in Social Work. During her years while attending college for four years, Diane was employed by Saint Christopher Jenny Clarkson Childcare Agency located in Dobbs Ferry NY during the summer months. There she worked with emotionally disturbed children and children with severe learning disabilities. These children were also products of various foster care placements, poverty and many broken homes. After graduating from college; she was employed as a regular and special education substitute teacher for the Yonkers Public School System for two years. Subsequently, she worked for Big Brothers/Sisters of Yonkers NY as a Social Worker pairing children who were from single parent homes with mentors. She was a Caseworker and Senior Caseworker for the Department of Social Services for two years in the White Plains Office; working in the foster care division with the children, parents and foster parents. In addition, she worked in the mandated preventative service division of the Department of Social Services in Mount Vernon NY. There she worked with grandparents, parents, children, and schools to prevent foster care placements. She has been a Probation officer for the Westchester County Department of Probation located in White Plains NY for 22 years. She is married with 4 children.
On October 23, 2009 Ms Long obtained custody of her great nephew who was left at a hospital by his biological mother. After learning about the infant and his circumstances; Ms Long set out to bring the child back to his family. After 18 months of fighting the system; the child was finally given to her by a White Plains Family Court judge who cared that this child had family members who wanted him but the system did not want to let him go . It took her 18months and a paid lawyer for his aunt to obtain custody of him. She was treated just like any other person filing for custody; although, she also works for the same county who had placed him in the foster home for 24 years. After obtaining custody of the child and having to still work full-time; she decided to keep the foster mother in his life and this person has become the child’s family day care provider and almost like a best friend/sister to Ms Long.
On October 23, 2009 Ms Long obtained custody of her great nephew who was left at a hospital by his biological mother. After learning about the infant and his circumstances; Ms Long set out to bring the child back to his family. After 18 months of fighting the system; the child was finally given to her by a White Plains Family Court judge who cared that this child had family members who wanted him but the system did not want to let him go . It took her 18months and a paid lawyer for his aunt to obtain custody of him. She was treated just like any other person filing for custody; although, she also works for the same county who had placed him in the foster home for 24 years. After obtaining custody of the child and having to still work full-time; she decided to keep the foster mother in his life and this person has become the child’s family day care provider and almost like a best friend/sister to Ms Long.
Diana Long
Board Member
Board Member
Miguel L. Salazar, M..A.
Board Member
Board Member
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Miguel Salazar holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Education from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Columbia University. He has over 30 years' experience as an educational advocate assisting children with diverse educational needs, their parents, educators, and other professional advocates. He is currently a graduate-level adjunct lecturer on Special Education at Touro and Hunter Colleges, as well as a part-time program director for a well-respected agency that focuses on providing parents of children with special needs information on resources and services available to their children. It has been Miguel's longtime goal to start an independent consultancy with a heavy emphasis on advocacy.
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Tejah Duckworth
Board Member
Born and raised in Southern California, Tejah received her Bachelors degree from California State University, Northridge in both Sociology and Psychology. There she conducted research on the effects of the court system on child victim behaviors and co-authored “I Spy with my Little Eye: Jurors’ Detection of Internal Validity Threats in Expert Evidence,” published in the Journal of Law and Human Behavior. Inspired by the vital impact of the courts on progressive change, Tejah is applying to law school while working for New York City’s, Office of the Mayor. She currently resides in Harlem, NY where she has
been an active member of the community.
Board Member
Born and raised in Southern California, Tejah received her Bachelors degree from California State University, Northridge in both Sociology and Psychology. There she conducted research on the effects of the court system on child victim behaviors and co-authored “I Spy with my Little Eye: Jurors’ Detection of Internal Validity Threats in Expert Evidence,” published in the Journal of Law and Human Behavior. Inspired by the vital impact of the courts on progressive change, Tejah is applying to law school while working for New York City’s, Office of the Mayor. She currently resides in Harlem, NY where she has
been an active member of the community.
